BESANÇON - The next generation

In a watchmaking region that has struggled since the 1990s
and been severely affected by the crisis currently gripping its
Swiss neighbour, several new brands have recently emerged,
such as Utinam, Lornet, Humbert-Droz, and Phenomen.

The news of the compulsory liquidation of Pequignet, a cherished
symbol of the region, has sent shock waves throughout the
community. But the greats of yesteryear, such as Lip, Dodane, Michel Herbelin, and Saint Honoré are also attempting to reinvent themselves.

Some, like Philippe Lebru of Utinam, are seeking to make their
energy infectious. To this end, the designer’s boutique is also
home to other watchmakers who share his revolutionary
ambitions. In particular, they aim to return the region of Franche-
Comté to the forefront of innovation and style. A pipe dream?

The flashy red ‘Pop Up’ clock imagined by Philippe Lebru of Utinam, revisiting an old symbol of Franche-Comté.

The next generation

‘Utinam ’ is Besançon’s Latin motto. It means
‘if only’, and expresses a fervent wish.
Philippe Lebru chose the word to name
his ultra-contemporary clock brand,
100% manufactured in Franche-Comté.
In fact, it’s a fitting name, as behind his strong personality,
impeccable style and thick beard is a region
that wants to wake up and not just be
used as a talent pool for the watchmaking
industry of neighbouring Switzerland, or
as a specialist in after-sales service. All the
more so as numerous watchmakers in the
Franche-Comté region have paid the price
for the slowdown across the border. Here,
it’s a question of genuine creativity.

Other big names in the region are also trying
to return to their former glory, including
some featured in the Utinam boutique,
located opposite the Museum of Time in
the centre of Besançon – such as Dodane
and Lip, a symbol which has returned its
assembly process to Besançon after years
of Chinese production. Philippe Lebru
doesn’t have their heritage, but has chosen
to build on a regional symbol to offer an updated
‘retro-futurist’ version that can, unlike
its older sibling, be found in the trendiest
of lounges.

The designer witnessed the region’s difficulties
in the 1990s, symbolised by the 1994
collapse of France Ebauches, the last major
European manufacturer of watch movements
outside of Switzerland. After his business
studies, he gained some of his first work experience
at the movement manufacturer,
which he then left to start his own business,
one year before its collapse. The experience
has certainly left its mark.

The post-France Ebauches era

‘I always wanted to be an entrepreneur,’ stresses
Philippe Lebru. ‘After leaving France Ebauches, I spent a
decade designing watches for others, but I also worked in
the aviation industry.’ The turning point came in 2005, when
his creative agency found itself in a tough economic situation,
and he was asked to design a trophy symbolising the
Franche-Comté region as a prize for the four most innovative
companies in the region.

It was then that he came up with the idea of reinventing
the once-venerated Franche-Comté clock. His first creation,
called ‘Hortence’, was impressive: brushed stainless steel, 2.2
metres tall and weighing 25 kilos, featuring an entirely suspended
movement and counter weight. Elegant and stately,
it was worthy of the clockmaking greats. In fact, Philippe
Lebru invented and patented the self-balancing pendulum
movement, which is suspended on an axis, keeping it perfectly
vertically aligned. No more need for tedious adjustment
to balance the movement’s position in relation to
the ground. The energy stored in the mechanism is slowly
released by the to-and-fro of the balance,
providing a power reserve of eight days. All
of the wheels and arbours are exposed and
contribute to the aesthetic of the clock,
which is also available as a wall clock.

The most striking of Philippe Lebru’s creations,
after the romantic Hortence and
cubic Lala models, is the sparkling, sixtiesstyle
‘Pop Up’ collection, which is available
in a range of shades from the brightest colours
to classic black and white, via shades of
plum and concrete grey. The clocks cost between
3,000 and 14,000 euros, and Utinam
produces between 80 and 100 each year.

Franche-Comté out
to (re)conquer Japan

Philippe Lebru knows how to make the
most of the region’s talent, from experienced
Lip employees to the younger
graduates of the Ecole d’Horlogerie de
Morteau. ‘My apprentice Dylan, who I’ve
been training for four years, wants to start
his own watch business. It must be contagious!’
With a dozen points of sale across
France, he is planning on going international.
In Japan, Philippe Lebru has recently
installed the largest hanging wall clock
ever designed, on the front of a women’s
luxury concept store in Tokyo. This monumental
red, white, and stainless steel piece,
named AoyAmA (‘Blue Mountain’) and
hanging nine metres high, is four metres
long, with a tangle of circular gears, pendulums,
and wheels 2.3 metres and 1.5 metres
in diameter. ‘Millions of Japanese citizens can now discover
the expertise of Besançon.’

While the designer doesn’t consider himself a watchmaker
in the traditional sense of the word, he wants to contribute
to the watchmaking renaissance in Franche-Comté and
across France. This is why his flagship store is home not only
to the historical Besançon house of Dodane, with its highlyactive
fifth-generation representatives Cédric and Laurent,
whose chronographs are used by the French air force, but
also to newcomers FOB Paris, three young Parisians whose
radically avant-garde timepieces are unique in their ability
to to turn into uber-trendy pocket watches.

Towards new Made in France
manufacturing capabilities?

Anthony Simao, Mikael Bourgeois and Benoît Monnet, the co-founders of start-up Lornet, cooperate with a network of local suppliers.

In autumn, the successive creation of three brands revitalised
the region. First up is Lornet, which launched its
first model, the LA-01, in November. The three co-founders
launched their business using equity financing. ‘It’s the
only watch to be developed, manufactured, and assembled
in France! We source almost all of the components from
the Franche-Comté region and we want to put our partners
in the spotlight, as well as being transparent with our customers
about where our components come from,’ explains
Benoît Monnet, co-founder of Lornet.

The LA-01 by Lornet

The result? A watch Made in France priced at 5,400 euros,
with a steel and aluminium barrel shape, as well as a visible
mechanism stamped with the viper’s head symbol of
the Besançon Observatory. Only the escapement, the barrel,
and the reversers do not come from the region, where
they are simply not available. Is it just a matter of time before
Besançon has full manufacturing capabilities? The momentum
for projects to bring about the return of Made in
France movements is gathering, at Lip among others. The
definitive disappearance of Pequignet, which was until now
the only regional player with calibre expertise in the form
of its Calibre Royal (although in a higher price range), and
which still hopes to find a buyer, would leave a void. Laurent
Katz, who took over the brand five years ago, spent considerable
effort getting the company, founded in 1973 by Emile
Pequignet , back on its feet.

Another newcomer is
Humbert-Droz, launched
by the family workshops
of Reparalux, a specialist
in after-sales service.
The brand has already designed
three models, the
HD1, HD2, and HD3. The Humbert-Droz family decided to
move into producing finished products to celebrate its 60th
anniversary in the watchmaking business. The models, with
their classic design, feature automatic calibres from Swiss
brand ETA but also from France Ebauches (!) and are notable
for their affordable price, from 390 euros.

Last but not least from this trio of brands, hungry to restore
the region’s watchmaking reputation, is Phenomen, with
its avant-garde and extravagantly-styled
models (see them in the Time.Keeper extraordinary
watches gallery). The young brand
has developed its own escapement (patent
pending) in another stepping stone towards
an independent watch industry in
the region. The first watch designed by the
four co-founders will nonetheless feature
some Swiss components. The Phenomen
project and first prototypes should come to
life in the form of a finished model this year.

French
historical
brands

Michel Herbelin , the survivor

Antares by Michel Herbelin

Michel Herbelin, founded in 1947 and
with production based in France, is
a rare gem: it’s the only company to
have been based in Franche-Comté
without interruption since it was established.
It is still owned by the same
family today. What’s their secret? ‘We
anticipated the rise of quartz, but
above all, we wanted to become a “real” brand with a strong
image based around the founder,’ replies head of marketing
Maxime Herbelin. ‘80% of our models are quartz, because
the majority of our sales are to women.’

The two flagship models are the Newport for men and the
Antarès for women. All the movements are Swiss, as Herbelin
is supplied by Ronda, ETA and Sellita. The company produces
between 80,000 and 90,000 pieces per year (compared
with up to 300,000 in the 1960s), at an average price of between
300 and 1,000 euros. Half of its sales are within France.

Saint Honoré retreats to Switzerland

Opera by Saint-Honoré

Unlike Herbelin, its historical neighbour
in Charquemont, Saint Honoré
decided to move entirely to a Swiss
Made model and set up its production
on the other side of the border,
in La Chaux-de-Fonds. As with
their neighbours, their collections
are mostly for women, with prices
between 400 and 2,000 francs. But there is one difference
that undoubtedly explains the brand’s strategy: some 80% of
its sales are outside France, where the Swiss Made label is a
huge advantage in comparison.

‘We have a Parisian name but we are Swiss Made,’ emphasises
Thierry Frésard, who represents the fourth generation in
the family company. ‘In Charquemont, France, our historical
home, we produce accessories and manage distribution for
the European markets. Our best-selling model is the Opera,
and our special feature is our interchangeable straps.’

Dodane : from Swiss Made to Made in France

Type 23 by Dodane

Dodane, led by the sixth generation of watchmakers in the
family, specialises in military and aviation watches as well as
on-board chronographs for the French air force. In the company’s
lifetime, it has produced up to 120,000 mechanical
watches a year. Having taken a break from watchmaking between
1994 and 2001 following bankruptcy, it now produces
an average of 600 per year.

Dodane released its Type 21 model in 2001. ‘At the time,
the model was Swiss Made, but this didn’t really make
sense to me. From 2008, we returned to a Made in France
model before launching the Type 23,’ Cédric Dodane tells
us. ‘Essentially, there aren’t many advantages to producing
watches in France, especially if you’re looking for finance
from banks, but it’s still our identity! And you can’t forget
that the watch industry was French
before becoming Swiss.’

‘I started from zero, from a financially
ruined family that had lost its
production facility. But in exchange,
we gained our freedom and were no
longer constrained by the need to
safeguard dozens of jobs.’

Lip returns to Besançon

Nautic-Ski by Lip

The major difference at the most
famous company in the history of
Besançon is that it has returned its assembly
process to Besançon after years
of Chinese production. Certainly,
the cases are Asian and the mechanical
movements are Japanese, since
France has (for the time being) little
to offer in these areas. To overcome the issue, Lip has started
a project to resurrect a mechanical calibre that was previously
in production, in collaboration with a subcontractor.
‘We are in the process of opening many points of sale, notably
in Paris and the Franche-Comté region,’ explains Philippe
Bérard, the new owner. Some people think that we’re moving
a bit fast, with the launch of several iconic models such
as the Henriette, De Gaulle, Himalaya and Nautic-Ski. It’s
better to think things through a little more in the future.
Overall, we have a good presence in France and significant
orders from Japan.’

In 2016, Lip produced more than 30,000 watches. ‘The
Henriette model in particular is a pleasant surprise. With its
nostalgic name, it’s popular with hipsters. Fashionable young
people are paradoxically enthusiastic about Lip’s collections.
We rely a lot on nostalgia, but we have to move on.’